RULES - SHOW THE WAY

The “new age” has a connotation in some human minds of an ungrounded, free-wheeling approach to living characterised by an attitude that “the rules don’t apply”. True, the crystallised restrictions and binding mores of the old age no longer dominate most human thinking, but the timeless rules of the soul do and always will apply to the spiritual seeker. The sincere aspirant to the discipleship knows all too well that there is no evading the law on the way of spiritual evolution. This is a lesson which the inpouring energies of the new age are bringing to human recognition, for the energy which will govern the new age is the seventh Ray of Ceremonial Law or Order. This is the impulse behind the increasing demand for the rules of law which is becoming increasingly evident in societies everywhere. It may also lie behind the urge of fundamentalists in all fields to impose their sets of law and rules on the larger society and, in so doing, widening any existing cleavages between peoples.

Rules govern group relationships on every level from the mundane to the most spiritual, and the books of Alice A. Bailey are replete with them. There are the Rules for Disciples in A TREATISE ON WHITE MAGIC, the Rules for Aspirants in INITIATION HUMAN AND SOLAR, and the Rules for disciples and Initiates in THE RAYS AND THE INITIATIONS, Volume V of A TREATISE ON THE SEVEN RAYS. Then there are the timeless Rules of the Road discussed in GLAMOUR, A WORLD PROBLEM. All of these rules are intended to set the parameters of group work, to elevate it to its highest level as the collaboration of souls.

The Tibetan master said the following:

What is this occult obedience, my brothers, about which we hear so much? Not what many occult groups make it out to be. It is not the control of an external organisation, dedicated to so-called occult work. It is not the imposed conditions of any teacher of any rank. It is not the exchange of the prison of one set of ideas for those of another set with perhaps a larger range or import. A prison is a prison, whether it is a tiny cell or an isolated island of vast extent, from which escape is impossible.

The authority to which we, the teachers on the inner side, respond is twofold in nature, and to it you are just beginning (as units in a group) to respond. To what do you respond?

1.       To the slowly emerging realisation of the “light beyond,” using that phrase as a symbol. This light is different in its appeal to the individual. Yet it is ONE LIGHT. But its recognition reveals new laws, new responsibilities, new duties and obligations, and new relations to others. These constitute an authoritative control. None can escape this authority, but can disobey it in time and space and for a temporary period.

2.       To the authority of the Rules of the Road which are imposed upon one as one passes from the Path of Probation on to the Path of Discipleship. Yet it is ONE ROAD. Upon this “narrow, razor-edged path,” one learns to walk with discipline and discretion and with the desirelessness which one experiences in unison with one’s fellow disciples.

What, briefly and succinctly, are these rules of the Road? Let me give you six of the simplest rules, begging you to remember that they are not authoritatively imposed by an arbitrary Board of Directors, such as a group teacher or teachers (of whom I might, of course, be one) but are the outcome of the conditions to be found upon the Path itself. They carry the warrant of a man’s own soul and are the result of the experience of millions of travellers upon that Path.

I will give you these six rules (even as I gave them to another aspirant*) in ancient and symbolic form, translating them as well as I can from the ancient records, stored in the Hall of Wisdom, and available to all earnest disciples,—such as you.

The Six Rules of the Path

I. The Road is trodden in the full light of day, thrown upon the Path by Those Who know and lead. Naught can then be hidden, and at each turn, a man must face himself.

II. Upon the Road the hidden stands revealed. Each sees and knows the villainy of each. (I can find no other word, my brother, to translate the ancient word which designates the unrevealed stupidity, the vileness and crass ignorance, and the self-interest which are distinguishing characteristics of the average aspirant.) And yet there is, with that great revelation, no turning back, no spurning of each other, and no shakiness upon the Road. The Road goes forward into day.

III. Upon that Road one wanders not alone. There is no rush, no hurry. And yet there is no time to lose. Each Pilgrim, knowing this, presses his footsteps forward, and finds himself surrounded by his fellowmen. Some move ahead; he follows after. Some move behind; he sets the pace. He travels not alone.

IV. Three things the Pilgrim must avoid. The wearing of a hood, the veil which hides his face from others; the carrying of a water pot which only holds enough for his own wants; the shouldering of a staff without a crook to hold.

V. Each Pilgrim on the Road must carry with him what he needs: a pot of fire, to warm his fellowmen; a lamp, to cast its rays upon his heart and show his fellowmen the nature of his hidden life; a purse of gold, which he scatters not upon the Road but shares with others; a sealed vase, wherein he carries all his aspiration to cast before the feet of Him Who waits to greet him at the gate—a sealed vase.

VI. The Pilgrim, as he walks upon the Road, must have the open ear, the giving hand, the silent tongue, the chastened heart, the golden voice, the rapid foot, and the open eye which sees the light. He knows he travels not alone. [GLAMOR A World Problem. pp. 49-51]

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Rules for Applicants

The rules given here are fourteen in number, and are gathered from a series of instructions compiled for those who seek to take the first initiation.

Rule I.         Let the disciple search within the heart's deep cave.  If there the fire burns bright, warming his brother yet heating not himself, the hour has come for making application to stand before the door.

When love for all beings, irrespective of who they may be, is beginning to be a realised fact in the heart of a disciple, and yet nevertheless love for himself exists not, then comes the indication that he is nearing the Portal of Initiation, and may make the necessary preliminary pledges.  These are necessitated before his Master hands in his name as a candidate for initiation.  If he cares not for the suffering and pain of the lower self, if it is immaterial to him whether happiness comes his way or not, if the sole purpose of his life is to serve and save the world, and if his brother's need is for him of greater moment than his own, then is the fire of love irradiating his being, and the world can warm itself at his feet.  This love has to be a practical, tested manifestation, and not just a theory, nor simply an impractical ideal and a pleasing sentiment.  It is something that has grown in the trials and tests of life, so that the primary impulse of the life is towards self-sacrifice and the immolation of the lower nature.

Please read the rest at: http://edgeba.webs.com/rulesshowtheway.htm

THE WESAK FESTIVAL

The Wesak Festival has been held, down the centuries, in the well-known valley in the Himalayas.

The Festival of Wesak is the Festival of the Buddha, the spiritual intermediary between the highest spiritual centre, Shamballa, and the Hierarchy. The Buddha is the expression of the wisdom of God, the embodiment of light and the indicator of divine purpose. This Festival is fixed annually in relation to the full moon of May; it is the great Eastern Festival.

The Forces of Enlightenment are active at the time of the Wesak Festival. These Forces emanate from the heart of God; they are related to divine understanding and can reach and strengthen those who love and serve their fellowmen. This energy transmits the second principle of divinity, love-wisdom, of which the Buddha and the Christ are the two outstanding expressions. The forces of enlightenment initiate the new world education. The first to be affected by them are the great educational movements, the forums of the people in all lands and the values which can unfold through mass communications media. The press, publishers of world literature, speakers, writers, radio commentators, newspaper men and social workers are all affected by these forces which stream into the minds of men. Their effects are not yet apparent to any degree, but these movements and people are the recipients today of the energies of enlightenment; as they recognise the new emerging ideas they can channel and direct energy to influence the masses of men everywhere.

Wesak Festival Talk

http://www.lucistrust.org/en/arcane_school/twelve_spiritual_festivals/taurus/wesak_festival_talk

The text which follows was an address given by a member of the Headquarters staff of Lucis Trust at one of our public meetings. The purpose of these brief talks is to prepare and seed the group mind for the real work to be done--group meditation. This talk can be used by individuals and groups who wish to cooperate with this service.

BRINGING THE "TOUCH OF SHAMBALLA" TO HUMANITY

Good evening, friends. Welcome to the Festival of Wesak. This festival marks not only the high point of the month; it also marks the high point of the year—the supreme opportunity for approach to the Hierarchy and for contact. The approach is of the worldwide meditating group to the Hierarchy of Masters, Adepts, initiates and senior disciples who assemble at this time, and for whom the Christ acts as Representative. The contact to be made is with the Buddha, Lord of Light, Who returns each year at the full moon of Taurus, bringing "the touch of Shamballa", the pure energy of the will-to-good.

The Buddha’s purpose in releasing this annual blessing is to quicken "the little wills of men", to galvanize them to fuller cooperation with divine intention, for the Plan cannot work out on Earth without the willing cooperation of humanity. So let us take a moment to silently acknowledge this responsibility and the opportunity which we have to cooperate in a service shared with all our fellow meditators, meeting as we are, in groups large and small, throughout the world. Then let us say together, quietly and in unison, the affirmation of the will:

In the centre of the will of God I stand.

Naught shall deflect my will from His.

I implement that will by love.

I turn towards the field of service.

I, the Triangle divine, work out that will

Within the square and serve my fellowmen.

The spiritual will is the keynote of our group work over the three spiritual Festivals this year: Let the will-to-love fire the entire world with the "spirit of relationship". The spiritual will is the will-to-good of the whole, but its lower counterpart is desire – personal, self-serving and narrowly focused. Taurus is the symbol of desire in all its phases, high and low. It provides the engine, so to speak, which propels the individual to achieve a personal goal, or the disciple who is driven by spiritual aspiration to tread the Path, or the initiate who is governed by the will to cooperate with the Plan. All of these are responses of varying levels of consciousness to the same compelling energy—the energy of the will.

The Buddha first clarified the nature of desire and its results. Christ taught the transmutation of desire into spiritual aspiration. Now, as the Shamballa force is pouring into the world, man is seeking a new understanding of God’s will—one which won’t require blind acquiescence to an inscrutable but overpowering force, but one which engages the human will-to-cooperate, by fusing the individual’s will with the divine Will in order to serve the greater good of the whole.

The question raised in the books of Alice Bailey is whether this increasing power of the will, stepped up by the impact of the Shamballa force, which was released most recently in 2000, will have the effect of letting in a flood of illumination upon the nature of the spiritual will, or simply quicken the personal will and stimulate human selfishness and emotional desire? Determining the answer to that question is the objective of our meditation tonight. And it’s a very timely question, for the world is witnessing the effects of the misuse of the will-to-power is it’s working out through governments and leaders who have misled their people into war and heightened the divisions in their societies. But—dare we hope—the extreme conflict we see in the world is also clarifying the truer values which are discovered through suffering.

The nature of suffering, its causes and its remedy, were the lifelong preoccupation of the Buddha, and this thought reveals a fascinating inner dimension to the Wesak Festival which has been observed for centuries by Buddhists. Many of us are probably familiar with the story of Wesak as depicted by Alice Bailey: the gathering in a distant valley in the Himalayas where each year pilgrims gather with the assembled Hierarchy of Masters, Adepts and initiates to await the annual return of the Buddha, in his etheric body, bringing the blessing of Shamballa to the world. Christ then receives this blessing, holding it in custody until he releases it into humanity at the Gemini Festival.

The inner significance of the Buddha’s return is that it’s sanctioned by the Lord of the World, the planetary Logos, and that the stream of Shamballa force which the Buddha brings emanates from a great Being known as the Silent Watcher. Who is this Being? The Silent Watcher holds a position in relation to the planetary Logos similar to the position that the soul holds in relation to the personality. "From the standpoint of our planetary scheme, this great Life has no greater", Alice Bailey says. Once a year, at the Wesak Festival, the Lord Buddha brings a dual stream of force, emanating from the Silent Watcher and supplemented by the Lord of the World. This dual energy the Buddha pours out in blessing over the people gathered at the ceremony in the Himalayas, she says, and from them it flows in turn to all peoples and tongues and races.

The books of Alice Bailey give a fascinating insight into the guardianship which the Silent Watcher and other great Beings provide for our planet. At the height, or should we say nadir of the first world war, the spiritual Hierarchy felt it necessary to invoke the aid of the Silent Watcher by calling upon the intercession of the Buddha. But, in consultation between the planetary Logos, the Buddha, and other great Beings within the Hierarchy, it was decided to watch and wait, so to speak, before interceding in human affairs, because to do so would have interfered with the karma of humanity and the planet. The Hierarchy concluded that it had confidence that humanity would come through on its own, and this conclusion was correct, for we’re still here. But this story underscores how closely human and planetary destiny is watched by the great Beings who oversee our planet and everything that lives upon it. As the description of this event concludes, "It is literally true, in an occult sense, that ‘not a sparrow falleth’ without its fall being noticed."

What holds the Silent Watcher to his post? A deeply occult and mysterious aspect of the Ageless Wisdom Teaching says that "The secret of the suffering in the Earth chain, which makes it merit the name of the Sphere of Suffering, and the mystery of the long and painful watch kept by the SILENT WATCHER, has its origin in the events which brought the moon chain to a terrific culmination. Conditions of agony and of distress such as are found on our planet are found in no such degree in any other scheme."

This is what motivated the Buddha on his mission—his extraordinary capacity to sense the depth of suffering present in all living things upon our planet. There is a story, perhaps apocryphal, that the Buddha, who as a little boy was left alone in a field which was being ploughed, suddenly experienced first-hand the suffering of the insects and their eggs, which were being destroyed as the grass was ploughed up. At the same time, the story goes, he felt a sense of pure joy rise up in his heart—a sensation that admitted him into a level of existence beyond worldly suffering, a place in consciousness he called nirvana.

To convey that blend of pure compassion and, simultaneously, the joy of detachment, became the driving force of the Buddha’s teaching. The secret for all aspirants, he taught, is to cultivate the attitude of the onlooker, to be a silent watcher on the human level. To attain this release, the Buddha taught the need to give up clinging to the objects of desire, whether they be material,

emotional or mental. For, whatever holds the focus of our desire in the three worlds, physical, emotional or mental, keeps us distracted and blind to reality. This is the message of the keynote for Taurus: "I see, and when the Eye is opened, all is light."

This one-pointed vision isn’t meant to shield one from suffering but to rise above it and see its cause and its cure. Detachment fosters the subjective focus, freeing it from concentration upon the outer levels, where suffering occurs. From this vantage point the observer can see the relation of the periphery to the centre, of the One to the many, and of inner unity to outer diversity. It is "the divine perception which sees all things as within itself."

This is the completed point of view which is pure harmlessness. Perhaps this holds some clue as to why the consciousness of the Buddha is called the "diamond eye" and the human being who has taken the highest initiation on our planet is called the "diamond-souled". A diamond is the most perfect refractor of light that we know of. Its radiance is unparalleled because there is nothing within it which could impede the transmission of light.

Another analogy is found in the process by which a diamond is created: out of carbon and through tremendous heat, pressure and time. This is the best example of initiation we have. The Buddha represents the human achievement through transformation by fire, pressure and time. Perhaps that’s why the Buddha was referred to as "Gautama Buddha, most perfect of bipeds." In the images we have of the Buddha, which radiate compassion, we sense his profound humanity.

Year after year, the Buddha returns to our world although he triumphed over it and gained release from the pull of its field of gravity long ago. Year after year he returns to demonstrate that the heart of the universe is unalterable compassion, and that humanity is not alone. His act of sacrifice affirms that the nature of Divinity is love, compassion. HPB in her book The Voice of the Silence put it this way: "Compassion is no attribute. It is the Law of Laws – eternal Harmony, Alaya’s Self; a shoreless, universal essence, the light of everlasting right, and fitness of all things, the law of love eternal."

"To this everlasting Compassion the cyclic appearance of the World Saviours and Avatars bear witness and are the guarantee," Alice Bailey wrote. "The method used by the Perfect One—the Christ—and that employed by Good is harmlessness. This is not negative but perfect poise, a completed point of view, and divine understanding." Perfect Poise: that’s one of the essential Laws of Healing, and it may help us understand why Alice Bailey defined compassion as "the right use of the pairs of opposites." That seems a curious definition of compassion until one thinks of the Buddha’s teaching on the Noble Middle Way. The major weapon of the Forces of Evil is chaos, disruption, lack of security and fear. The recovery from these unstable conditions must be through a new civilisation in which a balance is struck between those who hold on to the things of the past and those who would throw everything out and build entirely anew. And she points out that the inpouring seventh ray will foster a balance between the two extremes, "so that the ‘noble middle way’ of right action and of right human relations can be safely trodden."

The Buddha as the Lord of Light taught that we must look for the light which dwells within us all—the internal lamp which lights our way if we can give up clinging to worldly desires and seek out the inner truths of existence. Each year the Buddha returns at Wesak, bringing the "touch of Shamballa", the pure energy of the will-to-good. This will, when combined with the light of the mind, the light of reason, is enough to illumine our way.

"I see, and when the Eye is opened, all is light", the keynote for Taurus declares. The eye is the great directing agency, in the sense of the third eye, the ajna centre which awakens when the soul fuses with the personality. The keynote we will work with in our meditation will be "Let the will to love fire the entire world with the "spirit of relationship". Wesak presents an opportunity for humanity to cooperate in the establishing of a tremendous relationship created by an alignment of many levels of consciousness, all for a single unified purpose: the letting in of energies which will stimulate love, right human relations and goodwill on Earth. By uniting people of goodwill and members of the new group of world servers in cooperation with the assembled spiritual Hierarchy of Masters, certain great Beings can be invoked Who stand ready at this time of the May and June festivals to aid our planet. But the spirit of invocation must be generated by humanity.

The opportunity of Wesak covers a period of five days. Tomorrow, the actual day of the full moon, is known as the "Day of Safeguarding", a day on which we should simply regard ourselves as the recipients of as much of the inflowing spiritual force as we can bear. We receive not for ourselves, but in self-forgetfulness we seek to touch, contain and hold force for the rest of humanity. It’s to be regarded as a day of silence—a subjective silence and an inner quiet that we must try to preserve even while fulfilling our responsibilities through appropriate speech and cooperation with others. Two thoughts only should hold our unwavering attention: the need of our fellowmen and the objective of providing a group channel through which the spiritual forces may become available. This is then followed by two more "Days of Distribution" when we direct our attention to the outer world and endeavour to pass on whatever measure of spiritual energy we have succeeded in contacting.

We know we don’t work alone in this tremendous task, but in alignment with countless groups and individuals meeting in meditation throughout the world at this time. So let us work in meditation now with our keynote: Let the will-to-love fire the entire world with the "spirit of relationship".

Wesak Festival

New York, May 16, 2011

Sarah McKechnie

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MEDITATION

If you are new to this and want to participate in this important festival you can do the following meditation on the time of the May Full Moon. [As well as the day prior and the day after if you like.]

Meditation: Letting in the Light

[Festivals and Conference]

I. GROUP FUSION. We affirm the fact of group fusion and integration within the heart centre of the new group of world servers, mediating between Hierarchy and humanity:

I am one with my group brothers, and all that I have is theirs.

May the love which is in my soul pour forth to them.

May the strength which is in me lift and aid them

May the thoughts which my soul creates reach and encourage them.

II. ALIGNMENT. We project a line of lighted energy towards the spiritual Hierarchy of the planet, the planetary heart, the great Ashram of Sanat Kumara; and towards the Christ at the heart of Hierarchy. Extend the line of light towards Shamballa, the centre where the Will of God is known.

III. HIGHER INTERLUDE. Hold the contemplative mind open to the extra-planetary energies streaming into Shamballa and radiated through Hierarchy. Using the creative imagination, endeavour to see the three planetary centres—Shamballa, Hierarchy, and Humanity — gradually coming into alignment and interplay.

IV. MEDITATION. Reflect on the seed thought:

Let the will-to-love fire the entire world with the ‘spirit of relationship’.

V. PRECIPITATION. Using the creative imagination, visualise the energies of Light, Love and the Will-to-Good pouring throughout the planet and becoming anchored on Earth in prepared physical plane centres through which the Plan can manifest. (Use the six-fold progression of divine Love as the sequence of energy precipitation — Shamballa/Hierarchy/the Christ/the new group of world servers/men and women of goodwill everywhere in the world/physical centres of distribution.)

VI. LOWER INTERLUDE. Refocus the consciousness, as a group, within the periphery of the great Ashram. Together sound the affirmation:

In the centre of all Love I stand. From that centre I, the soul, will outward move.

From that centre I, the one who serves, will work. May the love of the divine Self be shed abroad, in my heart, through my group, and throughout the world.

Visualise the downpouring spiritual inflow released from Shamballa through the Hierarchy and streaming into humanity through the prepared channel. Consider how these inpouring energies are establishing the "Pathway of Light" for the coming World Teacher, the Christ.

VII. DISTRIBUTION. As The Great Invocation is sounded, visualise the outpouring of Light and Love and Power from the spiritual Hierarchy through the five planetary inlets (London/Darjeeling/New York/Geneva/Tokyo) irradiating the consciousness of the whole human race:

From the point of Light within the mind of God

Let Light stream forth into the minds of men.

Let Light descend on Earth.

From the point of Love within the Heart of God

Let love stream forth into the hearts of men.

May Christ return to Earth.

From the centre where the Will of God is known

Let purpose guide the little wills of men-

The purpose which the Masters know and serve.

From the centre which we call the race of men

Let the Plan of Love and Light work out

And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

 Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan on Earth.

 OM       OM       OM

[http://www.lucistrust.org/en/arcane_school/twelve_spiritual_festivals/taurus]

Read more on The Wesak Festival at:  http://edgeba.webs.com/thewesakfestival.htm

Coolangatta [Home]

 

You followed me through my travels in South East Asia, so it is just fair that I should show you my home and how I live when I am home in my mobile home.

This is also to satisfy the curiosity of my friend that are always asking me about the way I live and what I do because it is so strange to their way of living in Europe.

Coolangatta, a town on the border of New South Wales and Queensland in Australia is home for me whenever I am in Australia. I fell in love with the beaches, the atmosphere of the town and its surroundings that all form part of a large caldera with the Tweed River flowing through it. I have a PO Box address here that gives me the excuse to visit the place regularly.  

We can swim here right through the year.                      

I travel a lot through Australia but cannot find a better place to unwind.

Tanah Lot

  We crossed by ferry from java to Bali, and then travelled across southern Bali to Tanah Lot.

Tanah Lot is home to Bali’s most famous and venerated temples, best viewed at sunset it is a stunning site. It is the place where the Balinese have been introduced to Hinduism in the 15^th Century.

It is also the place where I met a lot of new friends.